The African Union Commission (AUC), Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat, has expressed concern for the deteriorating security situation in Sudan and has called for an end to the conflict, especially after particular reports of renewed attacks on the Abu Shok camp for the internally displaced persons in El Fasher and the spreading of fighting to Wad Medani in Gezira state.
In a statement released by AUC on December 18, 2023, Muhammad noted the reopening of the traumatic wounds for the people of Darfur, who have lived in Abu Shok as refuges for the last 20 years.
He stated that the attacks on Wad Medani have opened a new front in the Sudanese war that is now in its ninth month. He added that Wad Medani has in recent months welcomed millions of Sudanese civilians who have fled the fighting in Khartoum, many of whom are being forced to flee for the second time since the outbreak of the conflict in April 2023.
“I renew the call on belligerents, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces, to immediately cease hostilities and participate meaningfully in negotiations towards building and sustaining peace in Sudan,” Mahamat said.
He further reaffirmed the readiness of the AU to continue working with key national stakeholders and regional and global actors, including the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the League of Arab States, and the United Nations, towards a swift resolution of the conflict in Sudan.
The war between the Sudanese Armed Forces under Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) under Hemedti, rival factions of the military government of Sudan, began on April 15, 2023, during Ramadan. Fighting has been concentrated around the capital city of Khartoum and the Darfur region.
